Tsetso Mihailov is a tech-geek and loves everything that is tech-related, while observing the latest news surrounding technologies. He has worked in IT before, as a system administrator and a computer repair technician. Dealing with malware since his teens, he is determined to spread word about the latest threats revolving around computer security.

Tsetso Mihailov is a tech-geek and loves everything that is tech-related, while observing the latest news surrounding technologies. He has worked in IT before, as a system administrator and a computer repair technician. Dealing with malware since his teens, he is determined to spread word about the latest threats revolving around computer security.

Tsetso Mihailov is a tech-geek and loves everything that is tech-related, while observing the latest news surrounding technologies. He has worked in IT before, as a system administrator and a computer repair technician. Dealing with malware since his teens, he is determined to spread word about the latest threats revolving around computer security.

Threats such as Desu may be persistent on your system. They tend to re-appear if not fully deleted. A malware removal tool like SpyHunter will help you to remove malicious programs, saving you the time and the struggle of tracking down numerous malicious files.SpyHunter’s scanner is free but the paid version is needed to remove the malware threats. Read SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

Tsetso Mihailov is a tech-geek and loves everything that is tech-related, while observing the latest news surrounding technologies. He has worked in IT before, as a system administrator and a computer repair technician. Dealing with malware since his teens, he is determined to spread word about the latest threats revolving around computer security.

This article will aid you to remove Desu ransomware absolutely. Follow the ransomware removal instructions provided at the end of the article.

Desu is a virus that encrypts your files and demands money as a ransom to get your files recovered. The Desu cryptovirus will encrypt your data and files, while placing the .desu extension to every one of them. After encryption the MBR file of your computer system will be tampered and load a message upon restart. Continue reading the article and see how you could try to potentially recover some of your files.

Threat Summary

Name

Desu

Type

Ransomware, Cryptovirus

Short Description

The ransomware encrypts files on your computer system and demands a ransom to be paid to allegedly recover them describing its terms in a note.

Symptoms

The ransomware will encrypt your files by placing the .desu extension to them.

Windows Data Recovery by Stellar PhoenixNotice! This product scans your drive sectors to recover lost files and it may not recover 100% of the encrypted files, but only few of them, depending on the situation and whether or not you have reformatted your drive.

Desu Ransomware – Update August 2018

Desu ransomware continues to be spread and already has a few versions with small variations being released at the beginning of August. The ransom note messages have changed their names to:

@_RESTORE_PC_1.txt

@_RESTORE_PC_2.txt

@_RESTORE_PC_3.txt

The email address for contacting the cybercriminals has changed to [email protected] and may differ with each new variant of Desu ransomware. Other than the fact that more and more iterations are being found in the wild faster and gaining some sort of momentum, nothing else can be added about the Desu ransomware developments for the time being.

Desu Ransomware – Methods of Distribution

Desu ransomware might distribute its malicious files by using various methods. A payload dropper which initiates the malicious script for this ransomware is being spread around the World Wide Web, and researchers have gotten their hands on a malware sample. If that file lands on your computer system and you somehow execute it – your computer device will become infected.

In the screenshot given below, you can see the payload of the ransomware being detected by multiple security engines on the VirusTotal service:

Freeware which is found on the Web can be presented as helpful also be hiding the malicious script for the cryptovirus. Refrain from opening files right after you have downloaded them. You should first scan them with a security tool, while also checking their size and signatures for anything that seems out of the ordinary. You should read the tips for preventing ransomware located at the corresponding forum thread.

Desu Ransomware – Technical Description

Desu is a virus that encrypts your files and places a .txt file, with instructions inside it, about the compromised computer device. The extortionists want you to pay a ransom fee for the alleged restoration of your files.

Desu ransomware could make entries in the Windows Registry to achieve persistence, and could launch or repress processes in a Windows environment. Such entries are typically designed in a way to launch the virus automatically with each start of the Windows operating system.

After encryption the Desu virus shows a ransom message located inside the following file:

By observing the note, the email for contact and the opinions of some malware researchers, it is very possible that the Desu ransomware is a variant of the Animus Ransomware Virus.

The note of the Desu ransomware virus states that your files are encrypted. You are demanded to pay 200 US dollars to allegedly restore your files. However, you should NOT under any circumstances pay any ransom sum. Your files may not get recovered, and nobody could give you a guarantee for that. Adding to that, giving money to cybercriminals will most likely motivate them to create more ransomware viruses or commit different criminal activities. That may even result to you getting your files encrypted all over again after payment.

Desu Ransomware – Encryption Process

What is known for the encryption process of the Desu ransomware is that every file that gets encrypted will become simply unusable. All encrypted files will receive the “.desu” extension appended to them. The malware researcher Michael Gillespie believes that the Tiny Encryption Algorithm (TEA) or the Extended Tiny Encryption Algorithm (XTEA) is being used for the encryption process, but that remains to be proved.

A list with the targeted extensions of files which are sought to get encrypted is currently known to be the following:

→.pdf, .db, .doc, .docx, .js, .mp3, .jpg, .png, .xls, .xlsx,

However, if the list becomes more complete, the article will get duly updated with the new additions.

The files used most by users and which are probably encrypted are from the following categories:

Audio files

Video files

Document files

Image files

Backup files

Banking credentials, etc

On top of that the MBR (Master Boot Record) will be overwritten and the following message will be displayed upon restarting the operating system:

The Desu cryptovirus could be set to erase all the Shadow Volume Copies from the Windows operating system with the help of the following command:

→vssadmin.exe delete shadows /all /Quiet

In case the above-stated command is executed that will make the effects of the encryption process more efficient. That is due to the fact that the command eliminates one of the prominent ways to restore your data. If a computer device was infected with this ransomware and your files are locked, read on through to find out how you could potentially restore some files back to their normal state.

Remove Desu Ransomware and Restore .desu Files

If your computer system got infected with the Desu ransomware virus, you should have a bit of experience in removing malware. You should get rid of this ransomware as quickly as possible before it can have the chance to spread further and infect other computers. You should remove the ransomware and follow the step-by-step instructions guide provided below.

Note! Your computer system may be affected by Desu and other threats.Scan Your PC with SpyHunter SpyHunter is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as Desu.Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

To remove Desu follow these steps:

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode

1. For Windows XP, Vista and 7. 2. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Fix registry entries created by malware and PUPs on your PC.

For Windows XP, Vista and 7 systems:

1. Remove all CDs and DVDs, and then Restart your PC from the “Start” menu. 2. Select one of the two options provided below:

– For PCs with a single operating system: Press “F8” repeatedly after the first boot screen shows up during the restart of your computer. In case the Windows logo appears on the screen, you have to repeat the same task again.

– For PCs with multiple operating systems: Тhe arrow keys will help you select the operating system you prefer to start in Safe Mode. Press “F8” just as described for a single operating system.

3. As the “Advanced Boot Options” screen appears, select the Safe Mode option you want using the arrow keys. As you make your selection, press “Enter“.

4. Log on to your computer using your administrator account

While your computer is in Safe Mode, the words “Safe Mode” will appear in all four corners of your screen.

Step 1: Open up the Start Menu.

Step 2: Click on the Power button (for Windows 8 it is the little arrow next to the “Shut Down” button) and whilst holding down “Shift” click on Restart.

Step 3: After reboot, a blue menu with options will appear. From them you should choose Troubleshoot.

Step 4: You will see the Troubleshoot menu. From this menu choose Advanced Options.

Step 7: A menu will appear upon reboot. You can choose any of the three Safe Mode options by pressing its corresponding number and the machine will restart.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries on your computer to change different settings. This is why cleaning your Windows Registry Database is recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit long and tampering with registries could damage your computer if not done properly you should refer and follow our instructive article about fixing registry entries, especially if you are unexperienced in that area.

2. Find files created by Desu on your PC

Find files created by Desu

1. For Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. 2. For Windows XP, Vista, and 7.

For Newer Windows Operating Systems

Step 1:

On your keyboard press + R and write explorer.exe in the Run text box and then click on the Ok button.

Step 2:

Click on your PC from the quick access bar. This is usually an icon with a monitor and its name is either “My Computer”, “My PC” or “This PC” or whatever you have named it.

Step 3:

Navigate to the search box in the top-right of your PC’s screen and type “fileextension:” and after which type the file extension. If you are looking for malicious executables, an example may be “fileextension:exe”. After doing that, leave a space and type the file name you believe the malware has created. Here is how it may appear if your file has been found:

N.B. We recommend to wait for the green loading bar in the navination box to fill up in case the PC is looking for the file and hasn’t found it yet.

For Older Windows Operating Systems

In older Windows OS’s the conventional approach should be the effective one:

Step 1:

Click on the Start Menu icon (usually on your bottom-left) and then choose the Search preference.

Step 2:

After the search window appears, choose More Advanced Options from the search assistant box. Another way is by clicking on All Files and Folders.

Step 3:

After that type the name of the file you are looking for and click on the Search button. This might take some time after which results will appear. If you have found the malicious file, you may copy or open its location by right-clicking on it.

Now you should be able to discover any file on Windows as long as it is on your hard drive and is not concealed via special software.

IMPORTANT!Before starting the Automatic Removal below, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode. This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.

It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.

Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

Step 1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.

Step 2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the ‘Next’ button.

Step 3: If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future

IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats. We recommend you to read more about it and to download SOS Online Backup.

4. Try to Restore files encrypted by Desu

Try to Restore Files Encrypted by Desu

Ransomware infections and Desu aim to encrypt your files using an encryption algorithm which may be very difficult to decrypt. This is why we have suggested several alternative methods that may help you go around direct decryption and try to restore your files. Bear in mind that these methods may not be 100% effective but may also help you a little or a lot in different situations.

Method 2: Trying Kaspersky and EmsiSoft’s decryptors.If the first method does not work, we suggest trying to use decryptors for other ransomware viruses, in case your virus is a variant of them. The two primary developers of decryptors are Kaspersky and EmsiSoft, links to which we have provided below:

Method 4: Finding the decryption key while the cryptovirus sends it over a network via a sniffing tool.

Another way to decrypt the files is by using a Network Sniffer to get the encryption key, while files are encrypted on your system. A Network Sniffer is a program and/or device monitoring data traveling over a network, such as its internet traffic and internet packets. If you have a sniffer set before the attack happened you might get information about the decryption key. See how-to instructions below:

Tsetso Mihailov is a tech-geek and loves everything that is tech-related, while observing the latest news surrounding technologies. He has worked in IT before, as a system administrator and a computer repair technician. Dealing with malware since his teens, he is determined to spread word about the latest threats revolving around computer security.

Tsetso Mihailov is a tech-geek and loves everything that is tech-related, while observing the latest news surrounding technologies. He has worked in IT before, as a system administrator and a computer repair technician. Dealing with malware since his teens, he is determined to spread word about the latest threats revolving around computer security.